The Big Step has accused EPL franchises of “greed” after AFC Bournemouth struck a deal with sports betting firm bj88. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Bournemouth inks betting deal

A leading UK anti-gambling campaign has accused English Premier League (EPL) franchises of “greed” after AFC Bournemouth unveiled Asian sports betting firm bj88 as its front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.

for 2024/25, 11 EPL teams will feature a front-of-shirt gambling sponsor

Tuesday’s deal means for 2024/25, 11 EPL teams will feature a front-of-shirt gambling sponsor. Anti-gambling campaigner The Big Step accused EPL sides of striking “desperate deals for a few extra quid” as Bournemouth took to X to introduce bj88:

The pressure group is part of the charity Gambling with Lives. It stated gambling is “a serious public health issue that destroys many lives.”

“The sport’s greed does not justify exposing millions of young fans to addictive and harmful products,” the Irish Examiner cited Big Step as stating on the heels of Bournemouth’s new deal.

A Catch 22 situation

The Big Step campaign seeks to axe all soccer-related gambling sponsorships and advertising. According to the Examiner, the campaign has urged the UK’s new Labour government to follow suit of countries like Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain by axing such sponsorships altogether.

Bournemouth’s “record-breaking” partnership with bj88 replaces the south coast team’s previous gambling sponsor Dafabet. Bournemouth Echo said the bj88 deal is believed to be “worth almost double the previous one and almost double the sum offered by non-betting companies.”

commercial investment made by bj88 is the largest in club history” 

The soccer franchise’s news release stated that the “commercial investment made by bj88 is the largest in club history and will help with its objectives of being competitive in the Premier League.” 

AFC Bournemouth Commercial Director Rob Mitchell expressed the franchise’s excitement over the bj88 deal. “Their investment will have huge significance to help us compete in the Premier League both on and off the pitch,” he stated.

Going out with a bang

Bournemouth’s move now means 55% of England’s top-flight teams will sport a gambling sponsor on their shirts. This is three more than 2023/24 with the season yet to kick off on August 16 and has seen EPL franchises take a lot of flak from anti-gambling bodies and the public.    

The rise in such sponsorships speaks of a last-minute feeding frenzy as last year the EPL agreed to enforce a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship deals from the 2026/2027 season onwards.

In 2023, Kevin Dale, a UK gambling expert, warned that the voluntary ban would lead anti-gambling groups to target other less wealthy soccer leagues and sports.